上游

shàngyóu

noun HSK 7-9 #14,244

Meanings

1 upper reaches (of a river)
2 upstream; advanced position

Characters

to flow; to swim

Literally 'upper flow' — the part of a river closer to its source.

Examples

长江上游水流很急。

Chángjiāng shàngyóu shuǐliú hěn jí.

The upper reaches of the Yangtze River have a very fast current.

他们的成绩在班里名列上游。

Tāmen de chéngjì zài bānlǐ míngliè shàngyóu.

Their grades rank near the top of the class.

这家公司是上游供应商。

Zhèjiā gōngsī shì shàngyóu gōngyìngshāng.

This company is an upstream supplier.

Tips

usage

上游 is widely used figuratively in business to mean 'upstream' in a supply chain — 上游企业 (upstream companies) supply raw materials, while 下游企业 (downstream companies) make finished products. Also used for academic rankings: 成绩上游 means near the top.

Stroke Order

上 shàng

游 yóu